Envy Catwalk
by Ririkuto
Summary: All Akaito's life he's been moving. This is not by choice of course, his parents have always been ambitious and with another promotion comes another move. Thanks to this, he suffers from mild HSDD and isn't interested in anyone. After all, why get interested if you have to leave in a few months? When he meets a mysterious girl this changes and he receives more than he bargained for
1. Chapter 1

Prologue

He was sitting on that hill, the breeze tickling his cheek in the soulless bitter way truth does. The way it worms itself into the best of things. Barely visible but never fully disappearing. Advancing, yet stalking in the corners just out of reach like an elusive shadow that's not someone else's but not quite his own.

His eyes drop to the ground, the area she once stood. The place she had only before, stood beside him and cried. He stared over the wind blown landscape, dark thunder clouds forming in the distance over high mountains. The chill cutting through his skin easier than warm butter. The ice it flooded into him dulled his hearts pain but only slightly, and not enough to forget.

He is alone now again, the reoccurring nightmare firing off like a light. Flashing its headlights, and searing the image back in his mind with every blink, every breath. Everything he had, felt like a dream. It was out of his reach. As if now he was awake, and no longer privileged to such a wonderful dream.

Once again he's alone, horrified at the prospect, but yet, there he is sitting in the gloom of a summer storm alone. With nobody to hold him anymore, or argue. Nobody to whisper sweet nothings in his ear, and make jokes. Nobody to be friendly with, nobody but himself.

He can only stare over the horizon, as it passes. Watch the days as they fade away into weeks, months and finally years. There is no possible way to unknown this feeling once you've had it...happiness was it?

His misery settles like a damp towel, covering each and every glint of hope he had left, wetting his heart, chilling him to the bone. Still he sits there. His emotions are numb and broken, his agony the only thing possible to feel as it eats him alive as he sits there. It has slathered over everything, leaving nothing so he sits there.

He sits, tired and weak, unforgivably heart broken. He sits there until the rain pads the floor of the valley and soaks him through his clothes. Till they are nothing but heavy cloths weighing him down like the rest of his soul. Or rather the fading remnants of what had been.

Slowly he stands up. He doesn't care how wet he's getting. He doesn't care if he dies before arriving home. Nothing matters, nothing matters anymore.

Only a second ago he had been able to hold her in his arms. Touch the hands that held his, caress the skin that touched his.

Only a second ago, he'd been able to hear the sweet nectar that was her voice as she laughed. Only a second ago, the sun seemed bright and the sky was a dazzling blue.

Only a second ago…


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 1

"Ugh...these stairs are gonna be the death of me," Akaito groaned as he climbed yet, another seemingly endless set of stairs.

His new school was a lot larger than his previous ones, not to mention the decor was better too. However the stairs were the worst part, the only part he didn't like. Had he not needed to take the school tour to totally elope within it, he would have gone home by now. Unfortunately, he was stuck doing the tour as his folks finished the last of the paper signing.

"You'd think if they were gonna build an eight story school they would at least put in an elevator," he grumbled scowling and cursing the stairs as he climbed. Each step was heavier than the last as he'd been climbing and walking for about the whole day. Each step reminded him further and further of exercise. He wasn't lazy but, exercise was among his least favorite things. His leg muscles tensed and tightened feeling like they'd give out any second. He wouldn't blame them.

"Making him fill out millions of forms about a phonebook in thickness wasn't enough," he complained, setting one foot up for the next step. "Nope, let's also make him climb millions of stairs and say it's mandatory…because...we are assholes," he finished laughing at his own remark. Then he lifted his other foot forward, finally reaching the landing.

Upon reaching the eighth floor he stretched out and leant back on the railing, staring out the window.

"Well, it has a view, I'll give it that," Akaito admitted. He'd always admired beautiful scenery, the one thing his life had never been short of.

Down below there were endless sets of flowers, hedges, trees and shrubs. Freshly, not to mention neatly, cut grass, and pathways. Whoever tended the gardens here worshipped them. Not a single grass spade was out of shape, not a shrub or hedge had been left untrimmed to perfection: not one flower was discolored. He'd be shocked if a tree dare shed its leaves. Such actions were possibly unforgivable to the gardeners. He was staring out over the back of the school.

Further off in the distance was the colossal gymnasium, and several track and field lines just meters away running in endless loops of circles. This of course, was on the far right of the school grounds.

Next to it in the center, far back of school grounds was the science laboratory. The principal had rambled on about it forever. How it hadn't been in the original design of the school building and all that. However, after a few accidents, curtsy of blunders by the students, they had added the massive dome shaped structure.

The principal had then went on to speak of how they needed to protect and preserve such a building for future education. How highly valued the facility was. He'd talked about the insanity of the waiting lists for this school. Then went on to present a showcase of school medals. So many shapes and sizes but all the same color, representing the same place; First.

The whole lecture had been very exciting and dramatic. By dramatic and exciting, Akaito really meant boring. Never had Akaito wanted so badly for someone to be quiet in his life. If the man hadn't stopped speaking he would have surely shut him up himself. The topic had dragged on longer than his attention span could handle. He had been more than thankful when a secretary had dragged him away to fill out forms.

He turned his head to see the very far left of the yard. On that side was the schools green house. He hadn't been able to enter it, because it had been locked. But as far as the eye could see it was all tall, and rather exotic plants. Ones he was familiar with.

He returned his eyes to center yard. Where the grandest landmark of them all stood. A very large, extremely expensive white marble fountain. The statue in the fountain was the schools seal which happened to be a golden shield with the academy's initials in cursive black writing. The water spewing from the fountain flowed clear and sparkled like diamonds. The water spewed out in an outline of the shield which fascinated Akaito. Each pathway linked up to the fountain. Each path lead to a different building but all went around the school. The paths were large enough for wide groups so not a soul ever had to set foot in the grass. Unless possibly eating outside of course.

A sudden wave of triumph swept over Akaito and he smiled. All the sets of stairs leading up to the eighth floor, he had concurred them all; every last one. Thus his hellish climb was over and he got to proudly stand at the top. Gazing out over it all.

He felt slightly tired and mild lightheadedness along with some soreness in his joints. However other than that he was fine. Safe and unharmed. It really was a stroke of luck on his part. As good luck rarely ever came his way. On his worse days everything that could go wrong, went wrong.

Leaning off the railing he recovered from his break. After all it was time to complete the school tour he was on. This was the last floor he needed to explore. Then he would know the location of every classroom, bathroom, utility room, or room in general in the school. He would know exactly where he had to go and not need to bother with meaningless encounters and idle chatter with frivolous students. After all he hadn't climbed all this way for nothing. Then he was down.

Something collided into him knocking him off balance and he felt himself plummeting all the way back down to the first floor. He hammered against the marble stone tiles before a scream could even escape his mouth, slamming into all the railings and walls. Whatever had landed on him used him as a surf board, literally.

Pain stunned his entire body as it made contact with everything he hit. He went numb with pain all the way to his finger tips. As if he had been injected with pain and it was coursing through his veins. Several times his head and other parts of his body careened into the marble steps. Finally, skidding across the floor with a sickening thud, he reached the bottom.

Whatever had fallen on him was safe. He himself on the other hand, was caught in a purgatory of slight unconsciousness and going out cold. At least, he couldn't feel pain anymore, as much anyway. There was nothing but the numbness of lingering, fading pain.

"Are you okay?" he heard a rather angelic voice ask. Whoever she was her voice cut through the ringing in his ears like butter. Clearing out any other distortions he was hearing. Which allowed her words to reach him. Like a melodic harp flowing through silence. He managed to disregard all the pain he was feeling to be able to listen to her voice. "Hey? Are you okay?"

Her words definitely had to be sarcasm. He'd tried to process a sarcastic remark back at her but his head lurched sending seething pain through him. He refrained.

Nearing paralyzation Akaito managed to crack open his eyes open just a slit. It was pointless though as all he could see was blurry figures and blotchy colors. All twisting and turning as if he was looking through a kaleidoscope. If only seeing her could be as easy as hearing her. A soft hand touched his cheek.

"I'm so sorry, I crashed into you by accident. I wish I could help you more..." Slowly, her voice faded as she seemed distracted. Her blurry figure was looking at something off in the distance. It seemed like she shook her head and something on top of them twitched. She focused back on him.

"But I have dialed an ambulance, I need to go I'm short of time," the girl stated quickly. She spoke fast but Akaito had managed. His head throbbed and he couldn't breathe well, he felt as if a liquid was dripping off him and he smelled a thicker acidic smell in the air. Was that all she was gonna do to help? She'd knocked him down and yet she seemed to be in a rush? Akaito thought about twisting his head to see what might be causing her to hurry but he remembered the pain and delightfully abandoned the thought.

As quick as that, she was off. Not even allowing him a single word before she got up and ran. Not that he could speak. His speech would only roll out in broken lapses of gibberish. When the girl did stand up his vision cleared up just a bit, enough to make out her figure and a few features.

She turned around immediately after getting off of him sprinting down the long hallway at surprising speed. But almost as immediately he caught a glimpse of her. The black hair that seemed to flow flawlessly as silk as she ran, it was mesmerizing. Something was off though what was on her head? Then he spotted them.

It was blurry but he was sure, of what he saw. Ears, no, not normal human ears, but cat ears. Real cat ears with fur the same color as her hair.

Of course at first, he thought he was seeing things. The blurs that distorted his vision might be playing tricks with his mind. It could just be frizzy hair that might be sticking up, as anyone would have thought. That was until he remembered they'd twitched.

Oh they were real alright. Real authentic cat ears. He couldn't have been dreaming it even if he had basically knocked himself into a concussion. Even if he was nearing a black out. There was only one way he could think of finding out the truth.

Quickly he traced her hairline down her back. Real cats had tails didn't they and the rest of her body was human. Seemed human anyway. He must have hit his head too hard, that was it. But before he could close the case, there it was sticking out, more blinding than sunlight; a tail.

Dizziness overwhelmed him, still he tried sitting up. The action alone, shot an unbearable jolt of shock through him. Instantly he leaned over and wretched on the floor beside him. Limply, he fell back onto the floor.

Moving wasn't going to be a possibility. Even the shine of the high class lights, were blinding. Their glare making it hotter than it really was. So he laid there in silence awaiting whatever punishment one receives for throwing up on such an expensive floor. Not to mention he wasn't even a student yet. She mentioned an ambulance didn't she that girl. He recalled it as he finally slipped into his prolonged unconsciousness.

Those stairs really were the death of him.


End file.
